Slowly Changing
by hghrules
Summary: Slade, despite being thrown into a lake of lava, is alive. And this time, he vows not to fail.
1. How It Started

_My first TT FanFic! Sorry if it is not the best, but I love Teen Titans and will be posting everything I wish had been included in the series. Here goes!_

Chapter One

"I _told_ you there was something fishy about a kid wanting the Teen Titans at his b-day party," said Beast Boy.

"Uh, no, you didn't," Raven said. " Anyway, there's nothing particularly red-flaggish about a kid wanting entertainment."

"Guys, we need to focus. Find the weaknesses," said Robin as he pulled out his bo-staff. "Go!"

The Teen Titans bounded out onto the backyard-turned-battlefield wielding their weapons and powers. They hadn't expected to be surrounded by Slade's men at a small child's party. They hadn't expected the sweet little birthday boy to declare them scuz-munchin' snot rags before revealing himself as Gizmo, one of the Hive Five members. They certainly hadn't expected to see Slade himself overlooking the fight. But really, what surprised them most was how calm Robin appeared in the presence of Slade. "Focus," he kept whispering to himself. The other Titans tried to keep surprise off their faces as they beat down Slade-bots.

It was not until 4/5 of the Slade-bots were disabled that they realized Robin was gone.

xxx

"Robin, you took longer than expected."

"What do you want? What will you threaten us with this time?"

"Dear child, I only want what is best. But if a threat is what I must give you, I will not hesitate. Join me Robin. Failure is not something I take lightly. This time I will not fail."

"Never again."

"I have someone who may change your mind."

_Sorry for the short chapter! More to come, and if you want to guess on who Slade will use against Robin, post in the comments!_


	2. Slade

Chapter Two

"Follow me, dear boy. I will bring you to her," Slade said.

Robin got a sick feeling in his stomach. Slade knew how much he cared about his friends, and that knowledge had made things horrible for Robin. Slade had once gotten Robin to be his apprentice by threatening to kill the rest of the Titans, but after his friends bravely stepped forward to help him out anyway, Robin and the others had promised that they wouldn't give in to blackmail like that again. Not even if their friends' lives hung in the balance. They were to find a flaw in their enemy's plan and contact the others immediately, regardless off the risk.

But if Slade were to find out about the crush he'd had on a fellow teammate for quite some time now, Robin didn't know if he'd be strong enough to stick to his word. "Who- who is it?" he asked, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Come see."

"No. I asked you who it was."

"You already know, Robin."

Robin shook his head slowly and backed up a bit. "Who is it?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper, though Slade was right; he knew who it was.

"Starfire."

Robin growled and launched himself at Slade. Only after he had thrown several punches and kicks did he realize that he had just given Slade everything he needed to take him down.

Robin jabbed his bo-staff at Slade, but he jumped out of the way at the last second and spun around to punch Robin in the gut. Robin couldn't help but remember the time when he had been Slade's apprentice, how helpless he had felt with his friend's lives in his worst enemy's hands. He couldn't just go along with whatever Slade said; he wasn't a thief. But when he fought Slade, he didn't actually want to hurt or even anger him. With the push of a button Slade could have killed his best friends. He almost did.

It was the same way now. He was afraid to win, because Slade no doubt had some failsafe to kill Star if he actually lost. Knowing he could never win doing it his way and trying to just cut to the end battle, Robin stepped back. "Take me to her."

Slade smiled cruelly and held out his hand. Robin sighed. Fine. He would go willingly, he would do whatever Slade wanted, for now. As soon as Star was safe in his arms, he would find a way out. Robin reached into his pocket and took out his communicator, but before he handed it to Slade he pressed the record button (a new feature Cyborg had added), faked a fall on the slippery ground beneath his feet, and said, "I'm fine." Then he saved the recording and sent it to the Titans as he got up. "Here," Robin said, giving it to Slade.

Slade snapped the T-phone in half, threw the pieces to the ground, and stomped on them. Then he moved quickly behind Robin, and before the Boy Wonder had any time to react, something hit the back of his head, hard, and he slumped to the ground.


	3. Slade's Deal

OK,_ I am really, EXTREMELY sorry for the two short chapters. Seriously. I'm so sorry. And I would have typed this one sooner, but the snow took out my internet connection for a few days. So not my fault. And after today, It will probably be a while before I get time to write another chapter, because of school and all. (Blech!) But I guess that's expected. It's not like I can just spit out chapters! *cough* Mm, something's.. *cough cough* stuck in my throat... BLEH! *spits out soggy paper* What in the world? *reads aloud*:_

Chapter Three

Robin awoke craving coffee and sporting a blinding headache. At first he didn't want to open his eyes; his bed was just so hard and his room so cold. He hardly felt rested. Starfire's screaming during her and Beast Boy's Horror Movie Night had given him nightmares that wouldn't let him wake.

Eventually he sat up. Though they were heavy, he lifted his eyelids and peered inquisitively at his surroundings. _Wh- where am I? _The floor was boring, grey concrete, and the walls seemed to be the same. They were both cold, as were the tips of his steel-tipped sneakers. It was night time, but he wouldn't know this if it weren't for the room's lack of a ceiling. The moonlight shined down into his small room. He could escape easily with his grappling hook, or simply by standing on the bed and jumping. But he knew he hadn't gotten here on his own. What kind of villain would capture a hero and then store him in a room without a ceiling?

He was half-way over the north wall when he remembered his confrontation with Slade. Of course, Slade was the kind of villain who would capture a hero and store him in a room without a ceiling. As much as Robin wanted to continue over the wall and run home to the Tower, he knew Slade had something he wanted back. Why else would he allow escape? He knew Robin wouldn't leave without whoever Slade was holding captive, and, if not for that reason, he knew he wouldn't leave without bringing Slade to jail. Robin slid back down onto the bed. There was door on the south wall that led into an actual building, one with a roof, one Robin hadn't intended to enter. There was no going back after crossing through that doorframe. But he had to go. He had to find out who Slade intended to use against him.

Arming himself with the sharpest birdarang his utility belt held, Robin crept through the door, wincing when it creaked close. He looked up to see a long corridor with about five doors per side and one door at the very end. Guessing Slade was in the one at the very end of the hall, he was on his way there when he heard the scream. The scream that he had, before realizing he wasn't at the Tower, thought had been the result of a particularly scary part in a horror film. It came from the second door on the left, and it was unmistakably Starfire's.

Robin spun to face the door and yanked on the handle. It was locked. He rolled his eyes and jabbed the end of his birdarang into the keyhole. _Like that could stop me,_ he thought, rolling his eyes. He pushed the door inward at the exact moment he realized that Slade hadn't enforced the lock for a reason.

"Ah, Robin. You've finally woken."

"What've you done to her?" Robin yelled.

"Can't you just let me ramble for once? You're just so impatient, child."

"Fine," Robin said, gritting his teeth and trying to keep from flinging his birdarang.

"You ruined the moment. Let's just skip to the girl," Slade said, stepping to the right to reveal a glass cylinder containing Starfire. She screamed again as a dark liquid that resembled blood rose up around her feet. "Same deal as last time. You join me; she lives."

"You wouldn't," Robin said, but it was more of a question.

"I would."


	4. Apprentice All Over Again

_Alrighty, sorry I haven't posted in forever, I got caught up in school and Fable II, and I'm about to get caught up in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. As soon as it ships to my local Wal-mart. _

_On a completely different note, don't forget to review after reading! I don't care if you're cursing me or worshipping me, I want to know what you think! Anyway, where did we leave off? I believe Slade was about to drown Starfire in blood. I wonder whose blood it was? Well, that's something to think about. Where _did_ he get all that blood?_

**Chapter Four**

Robin stared at Slade.

Slade stared back.

The blood was rising quickly. It was already to her waste.

They kept staring.

The blood was coming up to her shoulders now. Robin kept telling himself that Slade wouldn't do it, couldn't do it, because if he did he'd have no one to threaten Robin with. But with each passing second he grew more and more unsure. What if he was wrong? What if Slade had something else to bargain with after Starfire was gone? What if Slade had planned to kill her all along, whether Robin agreed to his terms or not? What if Slade simply expected him to be too heartbroken to fight back after her death?

The blood had risen to her chin. She stopped screaming and clamped her mouth shut, pushing on the glass as she tried to escape. The glass wasn't going to break any time soon. Slade looked smug. He looked as if he'd already won. And in a way, he had. If Robin agreed to be his apprentice to save Starfire, well, he finally got a worthy apprentice. If Robin refused, he had still rid the world of one of its titans, and she was an important one, too. Important to the team, and important to Robin. With any luck, Robin would just fall apart when she was gone.

Robin gave in when the blood covered her nose. "Stop! Stop it! Let her go!"

Slade didn't. "Why? Would you do something for me, Robin?"

Robin nodded frantically. "Fine! Fine, fine, I'll be your stupid apprentice - again. Just let her out!"

Slade nodded slowly and pressed a button. The blood quickly drained from the glass cylinder. Starfire gasped for air and started crying. Robin avoided her eyes. He couldn't tell why she was crying. Was it because she had just almost died? Or because Robin had just become Slade's apprentice? He had a feeling he'd never have a chance to ask her.

_Sorry for another short chapter, but it's better than nothing! I'm just so busy!_


	5. And This Is Why I Hate Blackmail

_I haven't updated in FOREVER! I'm so sorry! With school and all that junk, I've just been so busy, and I hate typing on my tablet, so I have to wait till I'm at my grandparent's house and have a keyboard to write. I've also started a new Minecraft Fanfic that I think will be quite interesting, but I'll try to remember this one, too! SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:_

**Chapter 5 (Or something)**

Robin sighed. Slade just laughed. The floor in the glass cylinder suddenly disappeared. Starfire fell through the hole in the floor. Robin ran up and put his hands on the glass. "Where's she going?" he asked nervously.

Slade shrugged. "She'll be fine. And she'll stay that way, unless you try to escape. So... Don't try to escape."

Robin nodded and sighed again. Slade smiled behind his mask. "Good. I have a job for you."

**BACK AT THE TOWER**

"Where ARE they?" Beast Boy complained.

"Maybe if you'd actually help instead of sitting on the couch and whining, we'd know by now," Raven said while typing furiously on the main computer. Cyborg stood next to her, messing with several different gadgets.

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "HELP? Uh.. actually, you seem to be making a whole bunch of progress. Wouldn't want to mess you up..." He stumbled out of the living room. Raven rolled her eyes.

"He said he was fine. I'm guessing he has Starfire with him. Well, I HOPE he has Starfire with him," Cyborg said. "When I try to track his communicator, the signal is obviously coming from the north **(A/N: just picked a random direction there, sorry)**, but I can't get anything more detailed than that."

Raven sighed. "Well, let's just head over to the north side of the city and spread out from there." Cyborg nodded.

"BEAST BOY!" He called. "GET YOUR GREEN SELF DOWN HERE! WE'RE GOING TO FIND ROBIN AND STAR!"

Beast Boy grumbled at he rolled off the bottom bed on his bunk bed and dragged himself back to the living room. Even if he really just wanted a day off, Robin and Starfire were his friends, and he had to help save them.

**SOMEWHERE ELSE**

Robin quickly jumped from building to building in the Slade suit he'd hoped to never see again. He had one hour to grab a weapon similar to the thermal blaster he stole last time he was Slade's apprentice, and get back to Slade's lair. He just hoped the other Titans would have better things to do than intercept him; he didn't want a repeat of last time, having to hurt his friends to protect his friends.

Sadly, just as he was preparing to leave with the blaster, a small explosion sounded in the wall, and Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy stepped through. Cyborg gasped when he recognized Robin's spiky black hair. Beast Boy groaned, "Not AGAIN!" Raven tried to hold in a scream. Not a fearful scream, but an angry, you-idiot-why-didn't-you-just-let-us-deal-with-a-bit-of-pain-rather-than-make-us-fight-you scream.

Robin shrugged and blasted his weapon at them, then turned and jumped through the window. He hit the ground running, hoping against all hoped that he would be too fast for them and not be forced to fight his friends yet again.

_I'M SO SORRY FOR YET ANOTHER SHORT CHAPTER! I'll try to work on that. So sorry. And, sorry for pretty much forgetting this fanfic, and thanks to... Um... some reviewer whose name I can't remember but whom I greatly appreciate, who reminded me in the reviews that I have at least a few fans waiting for updates on this story. DON'T FORGET TO RATE AND REVIEW, PEACE OUT!_


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